1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to assemblies and methods for mounting a patch panel rack to a cable pathway in a telecommunication data center.
2. Background Art
Modern buildings, particularly commercial buildings, require an effective and efficient telecommunications infrastructure to support the wide variety of services that rely on the electronic transport of information. Typically, wiring systems within buildings are terminated in a central wiring closet where they may be interconnected with one another, and/or to other cabling systems or telecommunications equipment. Cables are often terminated on wire panels (such as RJ-45 patch panels) or the like, which are mounted either to racks, or to stand-off brackets affixed to a wall.
Patch panels are well known in the field of data communication systems. A patch panel generally provides a plurality of network ports incorporated into a single structural element that connect incoming and outgoing lines of a local area network (LAN) or other communication, electronic or electrical system. Patch panels are usually housed within a telecommunications closet or in an alternative location appropriate for patching cables. Typical patch panels are mounted hardware units that include a plurality of port locations (e.g., twenty four or forty eight) that function as a sort of static switchboard, using cables to interconnect computers associated with a LAN and/or to connect computers to an outside network, e.g., for connection to the Internet or other wide area network (WAN). A patch panel generally uses a sort of jumper cable, called a patch cord, to create each interconnection.
In a typical installation, the patch panel connects a network's computers to each other and to the outside lines that enable the LAN to connect to the Internet or another WAN. Connections are generally made with patch cords and the patch panel allows circuits to be easily and efficiently arranged and rearranged by plugging and unplugging the patch cords. Patch panel systems are generally intended to facilitate organization and management in implementing telecommunications wiring systems, e.g., for high speed data networks.
Patch panels are routinely mounted between rack elements so as to permit wires or cables, e.g., unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cables, to be wired to IDCs positioned at the rear face of the patch panel, and to further permit patch plugs to be plugged into jacks or ports positioned in the front face of the patch panel. Wires/cables are routed to the desired location at the rear of the patch panel, i.e., in the bounded region defined by spaced rack elements. Patch cords are routed to the desired jack/port on the front face of the patch panel, e.g., from a raceway or the like. Thus, for cable management purposes, the patch cords are generally drawn toward one or the other side of the patch panel at the front of the rack system and, from there, routed to the desired component and/or network communication location.
Stand-off brackets typically consist of metal forms with a back panel (which may be affixed to a wall or a rack) and side walls extending from the back panel. The back panel may include a hole through which wires are leaded for connection to a wire panel attached across the side walls. Patch panels affixed to a rack and/or a telecommunications closet affords convenient access to telecommunication devices such as servers, for example, within the same rack or closet.
As the demand for the use of telecommunication devices rapidly grows, space for such devices becomes both limited and expensive. Although in some environments, patch panels are affixed to a rack, closet, and/or cabinet along with the respective devices, such as servers, the demand for space has created a need to place the patch panels in a separate location. Typically, if space is needed for more servers, for example, patch panels are mounted on a wall within a data center.
Many rows of cabinets or racks typically fill a data center or telecommunications room. Data cables from each cabinet stretch many feet to reach patch panels mounted on a far wall making immediate access more difficult and inconvenient than having the patch panels in closer proximity. Removing the patch panels from the cabinets saves cost by creating more space for servers, however, additional burdens exist as a result. Mounting patch panels on a wall requires lengthy and costly cables to stretch across burdensome lengths. Moreover, TIA/EIA requirements place cable length limitations for certain types of data cables, such as Cat 5 or 6. This in turn requires burdensome planning, organizing and cost in order to be compliant with industry requirements.
Accordingly, a need exists for mounting a patch panel in a convenient location that allows for advantageous cable management within a data center. These and other disadvantages and/or limitations are addressed and/or overcome by the assemblies and methods of the present disclosure.